One Step Closer
by Dreaming18
Summary: Sixteen yr old Joanna and Twenty yr old Layla are two estranged sisters trying to deal with the death of their mother. The only thing they have in common is dance and it seems like their only escape until it ends up being the one thing that brings them closer together.
1. Chapter 1

**One Step Closer**

**Chapter 1**

The beat of music could be heard coming from the school gym as people walked past and cars zoomed away. There, a crowd of people watched as sixteen year old Joanna battled her nemesis Chloe in a tense dance. The two continued until the music stopped and the crowd swarmed around Chloe. Joanna scowled.

"Looks like I won that one Jo. To be honest I'd won before we even started." Chloe mocked.

"Hey! I won that fair and square." Joanna replied, defensive. "If you think those amateur skills are enough to win a battle you are seriously deluding yourself, as are those who think you're good."

"Please I've won more battles with these skills than you ever will. If you were as good as you think you are you would've won just now." Chloe laughed, taunting Joanna. "Go and take some classes before you come play with the big girls Joanna." she said and the crowds of people around her joined in, some trying to hide their amusement.

Joanna didn't bother sticking around. She turned to grab her things and walked off, listening to Chloe's celebration behind her. She walked home angry and frustrated. As she approached her house she found her boyfriend Leo waiting for her. The sight of him manged to brighten up her day almost instantly.

"Hey." she said, walking over to him.

"Hey, where've you been? Your dad didn't seem to know where you were either." he said, concerned.

"I'm fine, I was just stupidly challenging Chloe to a dance battle that apparently I'd already lost before it even started." she informed him. "This is the third battle I've lost this week. I'm a laughing stock at school."

"So, you lost what does it matter?" he questioned, placing his hands on her shoulders.

Joanna balked at him. She couldn't believe what he'd just said.

"What does it matter? It matters because I won that fair and square, but Chloe stepped in before I'd even finished, limiting my time. She cheated." she explained.

Unexpectedly Leo laughed.

"Maybe she was just better than you." he said, trying to sound as neutral as possible.

"She is not better than me." Joanna scoffed, shaking her head.

Leo sighed but didn't see the point in arguing with her.

"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked.

"I'm here to see how you are, considering it's the anniversary of your mothers...you know." he said, avoiding the word 'death' for her sake.

"I know it is. I went dancing so I didn't have to think about it." she told him, but even dance couldn't take away the pain of her mother's absence.

"I also came because your dad called wondering where you were."

"I'm ok, really. Thanks for checking up on me." she sighed, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"Well that's my job. You should really check in with your dad though, he sounded worried." he said pointing her towards the front door.

"You're right. I'll call you later." she said, opening the front door.

"Jo," he beckoned. "Let the whole dance battle thing go ok. You can't win every time." he said, before walking off and allowing her to ponder his words.

Joanna sighed and stepped into the house, closing the door behind her. Immediately her father came to the door, a look of concern on his face.

"Joanna where have you been? I've been worried sick." he said.

"I was just out with some friends." she lied.

"I wish you would tell me before you go wondering off." he said.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again." she apologized. "Has Layla called?" she asked, wondering if her older sister even bothered to keep in touch today.

"No, not yet." he father replied. "Maybe she's just busy." he hoped.

"Yeah right, she's too busy to call on the anniversary of her mother's death?" Joanna said, disappointed.

"I'm sure she'll call Joanna." her dad replied, not really knowing what else to say.

"She moved out nearly six months ago dad and not once has she come round let alone called. I know her and mum didn't really get a long but come on dad we're supposed to be a family and it's like she's just cut us off." she said, doing her best not to cry. "I really need her dad. We used to be so close but after mum died she just pushed me away." she said, embracing her father.

"I know, maybe she just needs some time." he said.

Joanna scoffed and broke away from him, climbing the stairs up to her room.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in a small dance studio in the city 20 year old Layla had just finished her afternoon dance class with some kids. She congratulated them on the work they'd done and let them leave with their parents. All of a sudden she noticed her accountant appear at the door. She sighed. She knew why he was here.<p>

"I know why you're here." she said, seeing off the last of her students.

"Good that means I can give you the short version." he said, a very stern look on his face. "You're behind on your rent for this studio. You have one month to pay what you owe or the council will take this place off you."

"I know ok. I'm just struggling with paying everything off right now. I have bills that I'm late on too. My job at the cafe only pays so much and the money I get from these classes mostly goes towards my apartment rent. In the end I don't have any for this place." she explained.

"Listen Layla if you don't pay the rent you won't have a dance school to come back too and you'll lose another source of income." he informed her.

"You think I don't know that? Look I'll scrape some things together and pay it off by the end of the week." she assured him but even she wasn't sure about that.

"Do you have anyone that can help you out?" he asked, generally concerned.

Layla was a young girl with big dreams but even he could see she was getting in over her head.

"I don't need anyone's help ok, I can figure this out on my own." she said, adamant.

"Ok, well don't say I didn't try to help you." he said. "I'll let the council know you plan to have the rent by the end of week." and with that he left, leaving Layla in silence.

As soon as he was gone Layla sank to the floor with her hands on her head. She had no idea how she was going to come up with the money to keep the studio open and her Dance School alive. This place is her life, she can't let it go.

She walked home, her stress levels beginning to boil over. She was looking forward to having a cool shower, some dinner and sleeping until her body didn't need it anymore. However the universe had other plans as she he found ex-boyfriend number three, Jay, waiting outside her apartment.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, arms folded.

"I came to pick up my record collection, you still have it." he said.

"You won't find it because I sold it." she said grabbing her keys and opening the door to her apartment. Her followed her in not amused.

"Why would you sell them?" he questioned, angered by her already.

"Well they were sitting in my apartment for weeks so I figured you didn't want them anymore. I got a really good price for them at this old school music shop downtown." she said, throwing her bag onto the sofa and grabbing a drink from her fridge.

"I can't believe you, you know that? You know this Is why I broke up with you. You only ever think about yourself and you pushed me away. You did it until I couldn't take it anymore. Did you ever have feelings for me Layla?" he wondered.

"No." she said, showing next to no emotion.

"Well that explains a lot." he scoffed, walking out of her apartment and slamming the door behind him.

Jay was never really the right guy for her so their split was inevitable. All of a sudden Layla was reminded of what day it was and thoughts of her mother flooded into her mind. She would always encourage Layla not to be afraid of being in a relationship. She would say sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, but you never know unless you try.

"Well when you've had so many failures you kind of give up trying mum." she scoffed, forcing the memory back out of her head.

* * *

><p>The next day Joanna was walking home from school with Leo. He'd offered to walk her home and since he was still concerned about her she didn't refuse.<p>

"So did you get a call from your sister?" he asked, knowing how much it meant to her.

"No, but it's not like I wasn't expecting it. It's like she doesn't even exist anymore." she replied, disappointed. "We used to be so close, I mean seeing her dance was what got me into dance. She would come into my room at night and teach me all these moves and we'd dance together until dawn." Joanna reminisced, just the thought of her and her sister brought a smile to her face.

"What and you're parents let you do it?" Leo smiled.

"I think they just loved seeing us together. But then mum got sick and then she died. After that everything changed. Layla stopped being my sister and moved out on her own." she said, frowning.

"Maybe it was just her way of dealing with it." Leo suggested.

"But why should need to deal with it on or her own? We should all be dealing with it as a family. I can't understand why she'd want to be on her own after that."

"Then you should ask her." he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I can't, only Layla decides when she talks to us and I can't be bothered trying to change that." Joanna replied, the subject was touchy for her.

"Hey, me and a couple of friends are going into the city to watch the top crews battle it out tonight." Leo said, changing the subject. "You can come if you want. You never know you might learn something." he grinned, changing the subject.

"I've got all I need, I don't need to learn anything." she said.

"You'd be surprised, just come with me and then tell me you don't need to learn."

"Fine I'll come." she agreed, giving in.

"Good, I'll meet you at your place around seven thirty ok?"

"Ok." she said, kissing him. "I don't know why you put up with me." she wondered, laughing slightly.

"Sometimes I wonder that myself." he said, grabbing her hand and holding it tight. "Maybe it's because I'm your boyfriend." he laughed and she playfully hit him as they continued the walk to her house.

* * *

><p>As Joanna sat on the bottom stair waiting for Leo, her father came and sat down next to her. Joanna gave him a concerned look, this was unusual of her father lately.<p>

"Dad are you ok?" she wondered.

"Jo I need to talk to you about something." he said.

"Ok, spill." she said, listening on.

"I'm going to have to go away for a while. My company has some business overseas and they want me there to oversee it." he revealed.

"Ok, when are we leaving?" she asked, automatically assuming she was going with him.

"You're not coming with me. I've organised for you to stay with your sister in the city until I return." he said, waiting for the oncoming onslaught.

Joanna was shocked, that's the last thing she expected.

"Layla actually agreed to this? Wow and here was me thinking she wanted to keep herself locked away from everyone." Joanna said, sarcastically.

"That's not true, besides if that's how you feel I think this will be an excellent opportunity for you two to reconnect. It makes me smile when I think back to how close you two were. I'd love to see you both that way again." her father said, defending his elder daughter.

"Fine I'll stay with her. But the fact that she distanced herself from us hasn't helped my opinion of her. I'll try if she does." Joanna resolved, not getting her hopes up, but for the sake of her father she knew she should at least try.

"Thank you. I leave next week so I've agreed to drop you round there the day before." he father said, a look of relief visible on his face.

All of a sudden there was a knock at the door and Joanna knew Leo had finally turned up. She got up, gave her dad a kiss on the check and opened the door.

"Be back by eleven at the latest." he said. "Leo I'm talking to you too." he said to the boy.

"Don't worry sir, she'll be back in one piece." he said, nodding at her father.

Joanna waved goodbye before exiting the house.


	2. Chapter 2

**One Step Closer**

**Chapter 2**

"So where did you say this venue was?"Joanna asked as she and her boyfriend Leo, walked down a brightly lit street somewhere in the centre of the city.

"It's by an old abandoned dance studio, cool huh?" Leo said as the two walked over to the crowd of people. "They usually dance outside it."

"Do they do this every night?" Joanna wondered.

"Not all the crews, usually just two or four of them battle. Only rarely are all six crews here on one night." Leo explained. This wasn't the first time he'd been to one of these battles.

"Six crews? Wow." Joanna said, generally surprised. "I never knew how into this you were."

"Just because I don't dance, doesn't mean I don't like." he replied with a slight laugh.

The sound of music soon reached them and Leo grabbed her hand. They rushed over to the crowd, pushing their way to the front. A crew was already performing and Leo recognised them immediately.

"That's the Lush Crew." he told Joanna.

Joanna looked at the people in front of her to find a red headed woman, dancing with a dark haired Hispanic man. While watching them dance she realised that maybe Leo was right in bringing her here. They were performing moves she hadn't even seen before. Still, this isn't how she imagined her evening going. Lush finished their performance and the crowd around them went wild. Leo joined in until he spotted two other crews standing on the opposite side.

"Looks like Riptide and High-Def are here too." he said, pointing them out to Joanna. Joanna nodded until she saw something or rather someone, that caught her eye.

He was about her age, wearing a neon colour-bar pattern t-shirt with a red bandana around his neck with a black leather glove on his left hand and a black elbow pad on his right arm. The bottom half of his outfit consisted of black jeans with white stitching that were rolled up at his ankles. Green suspenders hung from both sides of his waist and he had yellow socks and purple sneakers.

She unintentionally found herself staring at him for longer than she'd intended. She couldn't help but admire the muscular build he had for his age and as she continued to stare at him she felt a funny warm feeling come over her.

It didn't take long for Leo to discover the object of his girlfriends attention.

"I see Glitch has already got your attention." he said nudging her with his elbow. Joanna snapped out of it instantly. "Do I need to be worried?" he asked, playfully.

"What are you talking about, I was just admiring-" but for some reason Joanna couldn't finish her sentence.

Leo laughed and said "You wouldn't be the first girl to be lost for words when it comes to Glitch. You should wait till you see him dance." Leo told her and Joanna didn't know what to say.

"It's not like that plus I already have a boyfriend, no other guy stands a chance against him." she said, giving Leo a loving look.

"Well he must be irresistible this boyfriend of yours." he grinned, kissing her.

Joanna broke away when it just happened to be Hi-Def's turn to perform. Joanna's eyes immediately fell to Glitch as they started to dance. She had no idea why but when he started to dance she knew why. He was amazing, like nothing she'd ever seen.

"He and his partner Mo are the resident b-boys around here and they always manage to keep the crowd on their feet." Leo explained. "So, you impressed?" he asked, having to raise his tone above the loud music.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before." Joanna lied, unable to take her eyes off Glitch.

She had no intention of admitting how impressed she was. She thought she was good but he's on a whole different level. Maybe Leo was right and Chloe for that matter. Maybe she's just not as good as she thinks she is. When they stopped dancing her eyes followed his every move until she found him and his crew suddenly surrounded by girls. Only then did she manage to tear her gaze away from him.

"I can see he enjoys the attention." she whispered to Leo.

"Maybe, but attention doesn't matter to them. They dance because it's what they love to do. It's not to prove how good they are. Even when they battle the other crews, it's just a bit of friendly competition." he explained, surprising her.

"Wow, no wonder you keep telling me to let the whole lost battle thing go." she said.

"What can I say? They inspire me. They should inspire you too ." he replied, looking down at her sternly.

All of a sudden the crowd cheered and dispersed as Hi-def once again agreed to dance some more. As the crowd dispersed and the crew took their places, someone caught Glitch's eye. He didn't need to single her out from the crowd because for some reason this girl stood out perfectly. She couldn't be much older than him but something about her, caught his attention.

"Glitch, you ready?" Mo asked, noticing his partner seemed a little distracted.

"Yeah I'm ready." he said, focusing his attention away from the girl.

Joanna had noticed the attention she'd received from the skilled dancer, but she tried not to show it. As they started to dance yet again, Joanna noticed him inadvertently, turning his head to look at her. She begun to feel a little uncomfortable but part of her was curious. The crowd around them jumped up and down, clapping and shouting cries of support as they danced.

"Wow, they're really popular aren't they?" Joanna said, unable to ignore it.

"That's one way of putting it." Leo replied, enjoying the performance.

About half way through the song Glitch made a decision he wasn't so sure would pay off, but he couldn't help it. When he broke from the dance and rushed over to the crowd no one expected what he did next, let alone Joanna and Leo.

He held out his hand to her and said "Dance with me."

"Glitch what are you doing?" Mo called, still dancing but Glitch ignored him.

"What, why me?" Joanna asked, momentarily frozen. What on earth was happening right now?

"Please." he said, staring straight at her.

In any normal situation Joanna would have refused such an offer but for some reason she felt compelled to take his hand and dance. Before Leo could even stop her she took his hand and let him pull her into the spotlight. All Leo could do was look on in shock as his girlfriend was whisked away.

At first Joanna let Glitch lead her in the dance, only moving minimally. The crowd seemed to like the new edition to the performance but the rest of Glitch's crew was a bit taken a back. She was still a little shocked that he'd asked her to dance with him but after a while she actually started to get into it and really dance with him. At one point she was feeling the music so much that she couldn't help but dance to it the way she felt.

As she danced she didn't notice that Glitch had stopped to stare at her dance. When he pulled her into the performance he had no idea she could dance like that. The rest of his crew had all but given up, especially since a girl had taken over their stage. After a while Glitch started to dance with her again, completely mesmerized by her, a girl he didn't even know.

As the song came to end Glitch grabbed her hand and spun her towards him. They ended facing each other with his arms around her. For a while Joanna was frozen. All she could do was stare at him, until the cheers of the crowd and Leo's voice pulled her out of her trance.

"Joanna?" Leo called.

Joanna broke away from Glitch to join her stunned boyfriend. Glitch watched her leave, unable to take his eyes off her.

"Snap out of it man." Mo said, coming up behind him and tapping him on the back. "What has that girl done to you?" he questioned giving Glitch mixed look of concern and surprise.

"I don't know, she just caught my eye." he replied.

"Well whoever she is can dance." Mo replied. "I can't believe you let her take over our stage." he complained.

"I had no idea she could dance like that." he said, defending his actions. "I'll be back."

"What? Where are you going?" Mo asked, but Glitch was already walking away. Mo sighed, exasperated.

* * *

><p>"What was that?" Leo asked as Joanna figured out how to explain what had just happened. "He holds his out his hand and asks you dance and you just do it?" he questioned.<p>

"What's the big deal, he offered so I took it." she said. "Besides he had no idea I could dance, it felt good to show off a little." she said, smiling with glee.

"Well I'm glad you enjoyed it." he said and Joanna could sense the anger in his tone.

"What's the matter? You're not telling me, me dancing with another guy made you jealous?" she questioned. When he didn't answer she knew she was right. "Oh my god it was just a dance it didn't mean anything." she said, surprised by his behaviour.

"I didn't like the way he was looking at you ok?" he stated and Joanna was speechless.

"It meant nothing." she said, staring straight into his eyes. "I'm with you and only you." she said, trying to calm him down and dispel his jealousy.

"I know I just couldn't help it." he sighed, kissing her. "I'm just going call my parents ok, I'll be back in a minute." he said.

"Ok." she said as he pulled out his phone and walked away to a more quiet area.

As she stood there listening the sound of another crew performing. She felt someone approach her. She turned around to see Glitch standing behind her, looking a bit lost for words.

"Hi." was all he managed to say.

"Hi." she said back, wondering why he'd decided to talk to her.

"You can really dance." he said. "I had no idea."

"Yeah well I'm not that good and I'm definately not up to your level." she scoffed, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

"Maybe, but you are good. You really surprised me." he said, smiling at her.

"Thanks, but why did you want me dance with you in the first place?" she asked, having wondered that for a while now.

"To be honest I don't know. You just seemed to stand out to me." he answered and that warm feeling she'd felt earlier once again came over her.

"Well, thank you again. My names Joanna by the way." she informed him.

"I'm-" he begun to say but she interrupted him.

"I know who you are Glitch." she said, trying to hide her growing smile. He laughed and looked down at the floor.

"I hope to see you around Joanna." he said and he really did hope.

"Maybe." she teased not sure if coming back with Leo would be such a good idea. "I should probably get back to my boyfriend." she said, going to leave.

Once again he watched her leave until someone pulled him out of his trance. Mo stood beside him once again, staring after her too.

"Too bad she's taken man." he tutted, looking down at his protégé. "Now come back to the dance. You'll forget about her by tomorrow." he said, beckoning him back towards the studio.

Glitch doubted that very much.


	3. Chapter 3

**One Step Closer**  
><strong>Chapter 3 <strong>

A Week had passed since Joanna's encounter with the dancer Glitch. Her boyfriend Leo seemed to have moved on, but for some reason she couldn't quite get him out of her head. Of course she didn't mention this to Leo after the way he'd reacted that night. As she leant up against her father's car listening to the music playing on her iPod, someone came into her view. Leo stood there with a smile upon his face.

"Hey." she said, pulling her earphones out and pulling him close.

"I came to see you off." he said.

"It's not like I'm not going to see you. I'll still be at school." she said, placing her arms around his neck and letting him support her by her waist.

"I know but I just wanted to make sure you were ok before you moved in with your sister." he said, slightly concerned.

"I'll be fine. I promised my dad I'd try and work things out with her and I will." she replied.

"Ok, you know you can always call me if you need me." he said.

"Thanks for reminding me." she said, leaning up to kiss him.

"Joanna, we should get going." called her father interrupting them.

"Ok dad. I'll see you soon." she said to Leo before getting in the car. Leo waved goodbye as she watched him walk away.

* * *

><p>Layla nearly screamed when she saw the time. It was almost five o'clock, her father would be turning up with her sister any minute now and her place looked like a bomb had gone off in it. After she'd broken up with Jay housekeeping had taken second place to well...everything. She rushed around grabbing anything and everything that would make her place look untidy. She didn't want to make a bad impression; this was the first time she'd seen them in six months.<p>

You would think having a small apartment would mean mess was kept to a minimum, but Layla always managed to find away to ruin that. After grabbing the majority of things off the floor, she chucked her dirty clothes in her room and everything else went into a rubbish bin that went into a cupboard under the kitchen sink. She grabbed some air freshener and quickly sprayed it around the apartment. Her father would forgive anything as long as it had a decent smell. She was half way through hoovering when she heard a knock at her door. She stopped immediately and went over to open the door.

She grinned when she found her younger sister Joanna standing in front of her. However Joanna's expression was less than enthusiastic. Her father stood behind her, a gentle smile across his face.

"Hey dad, Jo." she said, inviting them inside. Joanna walked in without saying a word.

"Layla it's good to see you." her dad said, giving her a hug.

"It's good to see you too dad." she said.

"So how are you sis?" Layla asked Joanna, trying to make conversation with her younger sister.

"Fine, not like you care." Joanna replied and Layla could practically feel the venom in her tone.

She expected this much from her, after all they hadn't spoken much since their mothers funeral.

"Joanna!" her father scolded.

"No it's ok dad, she has a point." Layla said, sighing. "So how long are you away for?" she asked, shifting the subject.

"A month at the most. I'll call you when I know for sure." he said, bringing in Joanna's bags from outside Layla's apartment.

"Ok, well have a safe flight tomorrow ok?" she said, giving her father a small kiss on the cheek.

"Don't worry I'll come back without barely a scratch on me." he laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "I'll see you when I get back Joanna."

"Ok, see you dad." she said, giving him a small wave.

With that their father left, hoping things would turn out alright between his daughters. After he closed the door Joanna and Layla were left in silence. Neither really knew what to say to each other. Their mothers death had done something to them and whatever it was it needed fixing.

"Come on let me show to your room." she said, taking her hand and leading her into a small but generally nice room. The white walls were bare and her bed sat in the middle, with a built in wardrobe to her right. Her sister had even placed a stereo in her room which sat on the window sill, along with a collection of CD's . "It's not much but we can work on it." she said before Joanna freed her hand from Layla's.

"It's great Layla, thanks." she said, placing her things on top of the bed.

Joanna once again didn't sound too enthusiastic but Layla should have expected as much. When she agreed to look after her sister she'd had doubts about whether she'd made the right decision but it was too late to change her mind now.

"So, you know how to get to school from here?" Layla asked, apprehensive.

"Yep, Dad made sure I did before we left. No need to start worrying about me." Joanna replied.

"Look Jo, I know you're angry with me and I get it, I do, but after mums funeral I couldn't stay there." Layla said, just coming out with it. The tension had been eating her up.

"Oh don't worry I get why you had to cut me and dad off like we didn't exist." Joanna complained, arms folded. "In fact I'm over it, so no need to apologize."

"Jo, come on!" Layla pleaded.

"No I won't come on. I'm staying with you until dad gets back then things will go back to way you want them to be. You don't even have to talk to me ok?" Joanna said shoving Layla out her room and slamming the door.

Layla sighed heavily. She's got so much on her plate right now and her sister had just been included. If it wasn't for dance she wouldn't be able to deal with any of it.

Speaking of dance, Riptide Crew were hosting a party at their place downtown. She promised Emilia and Bodie she'd be there but she couldn't just leave her sister alone on her first night here.

"Hey Jo." she said, remaining outside the closed room. "I know you don't want to talk to me but, there's this party I've been invited to tonight and I sort of promised I'd go. This crew called Riptide is hosting it and I'm good friends with two of its members so-" but Layla was cut off when Joanna suddenly opened the door to her room.

"Did you say you're friends with Riptide Crew?" she asked, arms folded.

"Yeah, they came down to teach at my dance school a couple of times." Layla explained, a little surprised at her sisters sudden interest in the local dance crews.

"Do you know any other crews?" she asked.

"Uh yeah, why?" Layla questioned, eyebrows raised.

"Will they be there?"

"Considering most of them are good friends I would think so." Layla said, still a little surprised.

"I'm coming with you then, it's better than being cooped up in this apartment of yours." she said and Layla tried not to take offence to that.

"Um ok." she replied. "It starts at seven." she said.

Joanna smiled and closed the door again, leaving Layla stunned.

* * *

><p>It didn't take Joanna too long to get ready, in fact she spend over half an hour waiting for her sister to change. She sat outside her sisters room and figured she should make conversation, even it was going against what she'd said earlier.<p>

"So you must have impressed Riptide for you to be invited to one of their parties." she said.

"I guess, I mean they've seen me dance. Bodie was the one who invited me and he's too nice to say no to anyway." Layla revealed.

All of a sudden the door opened and Layla stepped out of her room. As she walked past Joanna couldn't help but admire her sisters outfit.

She was wearing a cream coloured beaded vest dress that stopped just above her knees, showing off her long, sleek legs. Joanna had to admit her legs had always been her sisters greatest asset. The dress was accompanied by gold bangles and gold coloured heals that complemented the dress perfectly. A Mini golden shoulder bag was also draped around her body and Joanna couldn't help but admire the way the colour drew so much attention to her sister.

Looking down at herself in her jean shorts and kaleidoscope vest top, she wondered if perhaps she should change into something more, bold. She didn't own any heels at sixteen, mainly because her father was against them. But that hadn't stopped her trying on a pair once. She wore more practical shoes but one that still went with her outfit. Blue and Pink sneakers decorated her feet and her hair was tied up in a neat ponytail so that her cap could fit her head nicely.

It looked completely casual next to Layla's more extravagant outfit but it was the best she could come up with in the short notice Layla had given her.

* * *

><p>It was a silent journey to Emilia and Bodie's place, with Layla to anxious to say a word. Their earlier conversation had been pleasant but she wondered how long it would last. Joanna's clearly angry at her and she'd be an idiot if she didn't know why, she just wants them to go back to the way they used to be.<p>

Music could be heard as Layla pulled up against the side of the road opposite Bodie and Emilia's house. People were already pouring inside.

"Looks like they've already started." Layla said, getting out of the car.

Joanna got out just in time to see someone on a motorcycle speed past Layla , making her jump back in fright. The guy on the motorcycle didn't even acknowledge her as he turned into the driveway of Emilia and Bodie's place.

"Jerk!" Layla called out, storming over to the guy.

Joanna followed in silence.

"You almost hit me!" she shouted as the guy took his helmet off and turned towards her.

"My apologies, it wasn't my attention." he said in quite a soothing tone. Both Layla and Joanna nearly fell over when they saw him.

Layla realized almost instantly who he was. That thick dark blue hair and those blue mysterious eyes belonged to another well known dancer, Oblio. She should have known he'd be here.

"Well, just be more careful." Layla replied, calmly. "Come on Jo." she said, beckoning her sister towards the door.

Oblio curiously watched them leave.

"Layla glad you could make it." Bodie said, greeting her at the door. "Come on in and make yourself at home." he said, gesturing them to come inside. They stepped in and instantly the music hit their ears. "Who's this?" he asked.

"Oh this is my sister Joanna, she insisted on coming along." Layla said.

"No worries, that's cool." he said.

People filled the house in all sorts of corners, with drinks and food in their hands. As they came into to what they assumed was the lounge, Joanna spotted dancers performing both in and outside. The sunset gave the house a beautiful glow and she was sure the night would make it look even more stunning.

"I'm going to get some food." Joanna told her sister walking off.

"Ok, just stay where I can see you." Layla said.

"I'm sixteen Layla not six." Joanna replied over her shoulder. She didn't need her sister watching over her like she was some toddler.

Joanna managed to find her way to the food table and her hunger instantly picked up when she saw the food displayed before her. She was about to grab a plate and help herself when she noticed someone in the corner of her eye.

"Wait a sec are you that girl Glitch was dancing with the other week?"and Joanna turned round to find a dark skinned girl most likely the same age as her, standing before her. It didn't take Joanna long to figure out who she was, in fact her outfit gave it away. She was wearing gray denim skinny leggings with a design of gold "T"s and sparkles with a white belt and a green sleeveless blouse with a baggy turtleneck and her jacket had Flash4wrd crews signature colours on it. She also wore silver hoop earrings with a gray and gold hat and her black hair was tied up in pig tails.

"Uh yeah I'm Joanna." she said.

"Hey, names Lil' T." she said.

"How did you know it was me?" Joanna asked.

"I was there that night." she revealed. "You have some serious talent girl." Lil'T complemented.

"Thanks but it's not like I did that much." Joanna replied.

"Yeah well it earned you a whole lot of attention from a certain someone. He can't stop talking-"

"Yo Lil'T!" called Taye interrupting her sister. Lil'T groaned.

"Sorry got to go but we should hang out sometime." she said.

"Yeah, sure." Joanna smiled as Lil'T went to her sister, angrily shouting something that Joanna couldn't make out. She laughed as she got herself a drink, only thing was when she turned around she didn't expect Glitch to be right behind her. She bumped into him and her drink splashed him and soaked his shirt.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry." she said, without even realising it was him. The moment she recognised him though, her cheeks started to turn red with embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it." he said without realising it was her. Thinking she should help she went to grab some more napkins but so did he at the same time and their hands awkwardly touched with his on top of hers.

A tingling feeling swept through her as she pulled her hand back, not daring to look at him. Her cheeks just started to even more red. She had no idea why she felt this way around him. Even when they'd touched it felt electrifying and she wished it hadn't.

"I didn't see you I'm sorry." she said.

"Wait, Joanna?" he said, finally recognising her.

"Uh Yeah." she scoffed, a little surprised he recognised her. "You remember me?"

"How could I forget?" he said, laughing slightly. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well I'm actually here with my sister, she was invited." Joanna explained.

An awkward silence took over as the two looked everywhere but at each other.

"So uh, where'd you learn to dance like that?" he asked.

"I didn't learn anywhere. My sister used to teach me a couple of moves when I was little, nothing big." she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"You were pretty good for nothing big." he smiled.

"Wow I really impressed you didn't I?." she laughed.

Glitch smiled, mainly because he liked her laugh, sweet and cute in his opinion and in that moment he found himself completely lost in her. She went to leave when he gently grabbed her wrist, pulling her back.

"If you feel like showing me what you got you know where to find me." he said.

"Sure." she grinned, not sure if that was such a good idea or not. He stared after her, instantly wishing she didn't have to leave his view...


	4. Chapter 4

**One Step Closer**

**Chapter 4**

Layla had never been the type of person to demand attention from the opposite sex. If a guy liked her, he liked her, if he didn't he didn't, it didn't bother her. She knew she was attractive on the outside but in her three past relationships, none of them had really taken time to get to know the person on the inside. But unbeknownst to her, someone was becoming very interested in her and not just the outside part. Oblio was watching her from a distance as she danced with a random guy. He'd found himself unable to take his eyes off her since the moment she walked up to him and called him a jerk.

"Hey Bodie, who's that?" he asked as Bodie brushed past him.

"Oh that's Layla, she's cool. She runs a dance school in the city." he revealed. "Why?"

"No reason I just, wanted to know who she was that's all." Oblio replied.

"Right." Bodie laughed, tapping him on the shoulder.

"It's not like that at all." Oblio assured him again. Bodie sighed, laughing as he walked away.

With Bodie gone Oblio returned his attention to Layla. However she soon noticed the way he was looking at her and smiled. He immediately looked away but knew the damage had already been done. He silently grabbed a drink before walking off outside with the aim of avoiding her.

* * *

><p>Half way through the night, Joanna found herself actually enjoying this party. When she told her sister to bring her along, it was only so she could see a certain someone. She never expected she'd actually be enjoying herself. It was of course no surprise to her to see her sister was having a good time no, a really good time.<p>

"Hey Jo, you having fun?" asked Layla as Joanna walked over to her.

"Surprisingly yes." she said.

"So are you going to tell me why you so desperately wanted to come to this party?" Layla asked.

"Not yet no." Joanna replied. "I see you're having fun though. How long have you known Emilia and Bodie?"

"About a month, like I said they come over to teach a couple of classes for me at my school, free of charge of course." she revealed. She was thankful the two were so kind about it as well, considering Layla's money issues.

"What do you know about the other crews?" Joanna asked.

"Not much, but they're all good friends." she answered, yet again wondering why her sister wanted to know so much about the City's local dance crews.

* * *

><p>"Yo Glitch!" called Mo, dragging the teenager out of his daze. "What's the matter with you?" he asked.<p>

"What? Nothing." Glitch replied, taking a sip of his drink.

"Don't what nothing me, you've had that spaced out look on your face all night." Mo said. "What's up with you?"

"Her." Glitch sighed, knowing Mo wouldn't let it go.

Mo looked in the direction he had pointed and couldn't believe what he was seeing. He recognised that girl from that night Glitch had dragged her onto their stage.

"Oh hell no, what is she doing here?" he wondered.

"Turns out she's here with her sister." Glitch replied. "I never expected to see her again." he said in defence.

"It doesn't matter, you know she's taken so don't bother trying to go after her. I don't need you hung up over some girl, not with the Jam competition coming up." Mo replied, stepping in front of his protégé, blocking Joanna from his view.

"Whatever." Glitch said, pushing past Mo.

* * *

><p>Joanna was sitting down when she heard the song begin. The previous one faded out as the new song began and Joanna got the aching feeling to dance. The song was her style. But of course she didn't want to dance alone, so when she saw Glitch over by the food table she smiled. Walking over to him she grabbed his hand, surprising him.<p>

"Whoa, where you taking me?" he asked, as she pulled him along.

"Dance with me." she simply said and she didn't need to ask him twice.

The two entered a small clearing in the middle of the lounge. He needed no instruction when she began to dance to the song _'Ready or not' by Bridgit Mendler._

The two started to dance and naturally they attracted a lot of attention from the surrounding people. Some starting to film it on their phones but mostly, the crowd was enjoying it. Glitch and Joanna didn't take much notice since they were too concentrated on their dancing.

It took Layla a while to realise her sister was object of the crowd's attention. She pushed her way to the front and her eyes widened at what she saw. Her sister was dancing, dancing quite incredibly and she was doing it with Glitch, a member of the Hi-def crew. Surprised was not the right word to describe Layla at that moment. She was too engrossed in their performance.

"Wait I recognise that girl. Isn't that the girl Glitch danced with that night downtown?" asked Angel.

Layla overheard this and listened on.

"It looks like her, what's she doing here?" Miss Aubrey wondered.

"Excuse me, what are you guys talking about?" Layla asked. "That girls my sister."

"What, really, I can't believe I didn't recognise her." Bodie said. "Your sister was at our gig last week downtown. Glitch pulled her in to dance with him and she ended up surprising us all. Is she really your sister?" he asked for confirmation.

"Yeah, that's Joanna." Layla said, utterly stunned. She finally understood the reason why Joanna was so eager to come here. "I don't believe it." she said to herself.

Meanwhile, Joanna was just enjoying the dance. She found it incredibly easy to dance around Glitch. He made her feel comfortable when she was around him. For the first time in a long time every negative emotion she'd had left her body. She wasn't worried about winning a battle, she was just dancing and she felt incredible.

When they finished and the music stopped, they finished, palm to palm, their faces inches away from each other. The sound of the crowds applause was drowned out as Joanna lent in closer towards him. He leant forward too but Joanna pulled away before things got too far, giving him a cheeky smile through her panting.

"Wow." she said, smiling and laughing. "That was good."

"You were amazing. You can really dance Joanna." Glitch replied, recovering from the exercise. "We should-" but he was cut off when Mo pulled him away. "Hey what was that for?"

"What do you call that?" Mo asked him.

"I call that a dance." Glitch replied, shrugging his shoulders. "There's no harm in it."

"I told you not to bother with her."

"You don't get to decide that." Glitch replied, a little harshly.

"Stay away from her, for your own good. There's plenty of other girls out there that aren't taken." Mo advised.

"She not just some girl ok. When I asked her to dance with me that night, I never expected she'd be able to dance like that." he explained. "She's special ok."

Mo sighed, exasperated. "Teenagers." was all he said.

* * *

><p>Seeing Glitch was busy Joanna went over to the one person she knew would want to talk to her. Layla pushed through the people complementing her sister so she could finally say something.<p>

"Jo that was incredible." Layla said, hugging her sister. "I had no idea you were that good."

"Yeah well, if you'd stuck around you would have." Joanna replied, a little venom in her tone.

Layla parted from her, her expression of disappointment showed.

"Jo, please I'm trying to make an effort here." Layla said. "I know we have some issues to sort out but-"

"It wasn't that impressive in my opinion." spoke a harsh, female voice. "Too dull for my liking."

The room went silent as Layla and Joanna looked to their right. It didn't take them long to spot two, rather extravagant looking people enter. Layla gathered they were related since the two looked identical. Their blonde hair was styled exactly the same and their outfits said it all.

"Excuse me?" Layla said, offended.

"Hey I don't recall inviting you guys." Emilia said, blocking their pathway. "Please leave." she said, pointing towards the door.

"Relax Emilia Jaryn and I just came to check out this girl everybody keeps talking about." said the guy. Layla didn't like the snobby tone in his voice. "Surely you've seen the video online of her dancing at your little hang out."

This was news to Joanna. What video were they talking about?

"It doesn't matter why you're here Kerith. You weren't invited, so please leave." Bodie said, joining the confrontation.

"If you have a problem with my sister you can deal with me." Layla said defensively.

Jaryn scoffed and said "You're beautiful but not that beautiful." and she sounded exactly like her brother. "Same goes for you." she said, taking a look at Joanna behind her.

"What's your problem Glitterati?" said Glitch, immediately coming to Joanna's defence. "Someone with some talent comes along and you feel threatened?"

"Please, take it from me dear you won't last, not in the big city." Kerith said. "Not with that level of dance." she laughed.

Joanna's high came crashing down. Suddenly she didn't feel so good anymore.

"I have an idea," spoke Oblio, coming out of nowhere, surprising everybody. "How about you and you're unimpressed sister high tail it out of here before we have a problem." he said, defensively.

Joanna suddenly felt sick and ran outside, Glitch followed close behind her. Layla wanted to go but seeing the way Glitch reacted, she opted to stay. She however was surprised to see Oblio come to her defence. She'd heard a lot about him but never really seen him before tonight. The word mysterious came to mind.

"Fine, we'll go but tell that girl she's got our attention. We'll be seeing a lot more of her." Kerith said and Layla resisted the urge to insult him. "Sister, let's go." he said gesturing to Jaryn.

There was silence as they left with people trying to avoid their gaze. The moment they were gone things calmed down and returned to normal.

* * *

><p>Outside Joanna resisted the urge to throw up. She had no idea what came over her. Those two, whoever they were, certainly hadn't made her feel welcome. She'd felt sick to her stomach when they'd commented on her dancing.<p>

"Hey Joanna are you ok?" asked Glitch, coming up beside her.

"Who were they?" she questioned him.

"The Glitterati." he said. "Not the friendliest crew in town. Just a pair of rich snobs if you ask me." he laughed, trying to cheer her up. "You can't let anything they said bother you, you were great out there tonight." he said, placing his hand in hers.

Joanna found herself instantly at ease, but the feeling in her stomach was replaced with butterflies.

"Thanks Glitch, I mean it." she said.

"No problem." he replied, unable to take his eyes off her.

He knew what Mo said was right, she was taken, there was no opportunity for him with her but he just couldn't tear himself away. That was until Layla came out to see how her sister was doing.

He immediately tore his hand from hers and stepped away.

"I'll see you around." he said.

"For sure this time." she said with a smile. He returned the gesture before disappearing from view.

"Is it me or have the two of you not been able to stay away from each other all night?" Layla asked, not sure how her sister would respond.

"He was just being nice." Joanna replied. "We met last week."

"Yeah I know, everybody else was telling me about that. Is he the reason you wanted to come here tonight?" Layla asked, even though she already guessed she was right.

"Maybe." was all she said. "Hey do you mind if we go home?"

"Uh yeah sure, it's getting pretty late." Layla said. "Come on, you look exhausted."

She felt exhausted too. What a night this had turned out to be.


End file.
